State to take new look at how carp invasion being handled

December 07, 2009

Concerned about the growing threat of Asian carp into the Great Lakes, state leaders have called a January public hearing to set a long-term approaching for dealing with the invasive fish in Illinois' waterways.

Sen. Susan Garrett, chair of the Senate Environment Committee, initiated the hearing following a massive four-day fish kill to keep the carp at bay in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal near Romeoville. While state environmentalists and fisheries biologists have battled the voracious carp in Illinois' waters for more than a decade, Garrett said there are still unanswered questions about the effectiveness of those methods.

"It's time to reassess what we've done and to see if we can come up with a more effective approach," Garrett said. "Everybody wants to see this problem solved. It's vital not just for Illinois, but the whole region."

The public hearing, which will include representatives from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the state EPA and others, will begin at 11 a.m. January 21 at the Thompson Center in Chicago.

The announcement comes as state officials are expanding their search for Asian carp in a 5.5-mile stretch of Chicago's Cal-Sag Channel near the O'Brien lock. On Monday, officials wrapped up a three-day fishing expedition for carp in the Cal-Sag, using nearly 2,000 yards of nets.

The Cal-Sag Channel connects the Little Calumet River and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.

Lynn Whelan, spokeswoman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said no decision has been made on whether federal officials will temporarily close O'Brien Lock Dam near the mouth of Lake Michigan to prevent the spread of Asian carp, a scenario biologists warn would devastate the lakes' $7 billion sport and commercial fishing industry.